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Lasse Potato Pancake

Chef Lasse Sorenson of Tom’s Place in DeSoto is joined in the kitchen by Ruth Grater of Carbondale, who demonstrates how to make potato pancakes – or potato latkes in Yiddish, a traditional Hanukkah dish for Eastern European Jews. Historically, it is the oil in which the pancakes are fried that is significant, not the potatoes themselves, as it represents the oil that burned in the temple lamps for eight days in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE. Ingredients typically include yellow potatoes (Yukon Gold are a favorite), onions, eggs, matzo meal, salt and pepper, and vegetable oil. Some recipes include applesauce or sour cream. Click here for the Ruth Grater's recipe.